


We Are Going To Be Friends

by His_Beautiful_Girl



Category: Veronica Mars (TV), Veronica Mars - All Media Types
Genre: #Sentry the Alpaca, #love, #preseries, F/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:15:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26624287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/His_Beautiful_Girl/pseuds/His_Beautiful_Girl
Summary: Logan develops a special friendship with the most surprising creature. Sentry, in return, is loyal to his human and gives him a bit of a helping foot when needed.
Relationships: Logan Echolls/Veronica Mars
Comments: 21
Kudos: 22





	We Are Going To Be Friends

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Marshmellow Bobcat (MellowBobcat)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MellowBobcat/gifts).



> For the incomparable MarshmallowBobcat. Thank you for being such a great friend, for introducing me to the wondrous discord group and for always having encouraging words for me, even when voluntolding me sometimes. Most of all, thank you for sharing your talent with the Veronica Mars fandom with both your writing and graphics. Happy Birthday, my friend.

**TW:** Discussion of canon abuse, but I do not show it. It’s the aftermath.

 **Summary:** Logan develops a special friendship with the most surprising creature. Sentry, in return, is loyal to his human and gives him a bit of a helping foot when needed.

**Pronk:** (verb) jump straight up; bound; jump; leap; spring forward by leaps and bounds.

They define **pronking** as a gait of quadrupeds (four-footed animals) involving jumping high into the air by lifting all four feet off the ground simultaneously.

_A special thanks to Alina for helping me and making this amazing cover art for this special story._

_June 2000_

_Logan and Veronica- Aged Twelve_

Logan knew if anyone found out, he would be a laughingstock. But when did he ever give a crap about what anyone thought? People only wanted to be his friend because of who his parents were, because of the money the family had. Sentry didn’t care that Aaron and Lynn were movie stars and didn’t care about money. He didn’t care about anything except having the room to run around pronking in the sunshine. Well, that and grass and hay to eat and his brother alpacas Chewpaca and Alpacino to wrestle around with.

Lynn purchased the three alpacas shortly after their arrival in Neptune, causing Logan initially to throw a fit. All he wanted was a dog. Instead, his mother had gone and fell in love with the alpaca she worked with on a movie and bought three alpacas of her own. The only time she paid attention to said alpacas was when she wanted to use them as props of some sort, so they hired a pleasant couple to take care of them and live on the property. Logan hadn’t been sure what to think of the funny-looking animals at first, admitting they were cute, but hardly an animal that you could play around with. However, the youngest one, Sentry, had grown on him. He differed from the other two. Allowed Logan to pet him and would settle down with him to cuddle back. Somehow along the way, Sentry became a confidant whom he knew would never share his secrets. What the soft furry animal also did was to provide some affection to a boy who wanted and desperately needed it. So, it became routine that every evening, Logan made time to head out to the stables to spend time with his furry best friend.

One late summer afternoon Logan rushed out to where Sentry lay in the sunshine. Heaving a heavy breath, face flushed and brown eyes almost honey colored, wide and bright, he plopped down on the grass and laid himself out, resting his head on the light brown, tan, and white alpaca’s side. “You’ll never guess what happened to me today, buddy! I met the prettiest, most amazing girl at the soccer field! Her name is Veronica Mars, and she has long blond hair and the biggest blue eyes you’ve ever seen. She’s so smart and funny. Best of all, she thinks Aaron is a crappy actor! I can tell we’re going to be friends!” Glee poured out of him while he continued babbling. “And boy does she have a temper! The ref made a completely unfair call and her face got so red and she started yelling about it.” Laughter bubbled up and out of Logan. “It almost ended up with her getting thrown out of the game, but she apologized. Then she continued to glare at the ref without saying a word the entire time. If looks could kill!”

Sentry shifted, moving to stand, and Logan moved with him. They walked over so the alpaca could get some dinner, and as he stood and chewed, Logan continued talking excitedly. “I mean, I was supposed to be there to watch Duncan, but her team played first. And she was amazing to watch out there! She’s the tiniest thing you’ve ever seen, but ruthless on the field. DK’s older sister Lilly showed up at the end of the game too and introduced us. I don’t know what her problem is, but whatever, I never know what Lilly is up to and I don’t care. I guess they are best friends though and have been since second grade. But they are almost complete opposites, it’s baffling! Though it was really funny to see someone stand up to Lilly and get away with it. Lilly wanted to go to the mall but Veronica said no, that she was going to get ice cream and then head home because that’s what she told her dad she was going to do. They went back and forth, but finally Lilly gave in and they made plans for another day! I’ve never seen anyone argue with Lilly and win!” His hands waved this way and that, as if conducting an orchestra as he spoke, conveying his enthusiasm and admiration of this Veronica Mars.

The pair meandered into the coolness of the barn and Sentry got comfortable in a soft bed of hay in the stall he claimed as his own the day he arrived. Logan slid down the wall to sit near his head and gently stroke the soft top of the alpaca’s fur while he laid his head on the boy’s lap. “We all went out for ice cream afterwards and for some stupid reason Lilly wouldn’t let Veronica and I sit together on one side of the booth, said it wouldn’t work with her plan, whatever the hell that means.” His large brown eyes rolled, and his mouth turned downward in a frown before shaking it off, eyes brightening and a smile replacing his frown again. “Anyway, we’re supposed to meet up together tomorrow, all four of us I mean, and go out to the boardwalk. I wish it was just Veronica, but at least I’ll still get to spend time with her!”

If Sentry were human, he would likely have gotten sick of the name Veronica quickly. She was all _his_ human talked about day after day. The funny things she did or said, the sweet way she cared- genuinely cared about people and showed it. The way her tongue would slightly peek out when concentrating on playing a video game and how she turned and moved her entire body while attempting to steer the car in Mario Kart. As it was, Sentry was more than happy to let Logan babble on and on while he munched on hay or relaxed in the shade or rolled around in the dirt and sometimes laid his head on the boy’s lap and allowed him to give him soft pets. The alpaca enjoyed the sound of _his_ human’s voice, especially when the voice was light and full of laughter.

One rainy day, several months after meeting Veronica Mars, Logan limped into the barn. Face still bearing a few traces of the blood that had covered it because of his father’s fist. A low strangled sound escaped when he slumped down, breath wheezing in and out while trying to find a position in which to sit that didn’t hurt his ribs worse. As if Aaron’s practice of using his son as a punching bag weren’t bad enough, the Kanes were out of town and today he and Veronica had plans to spend some time together; lunch and a movie, followed by ice cream at Amy’s. Logan looked forward to today for a couple weeks, but now his injuries had forced him to call and beg off the outing.

He was twelve, almost thirteen and, as Aaron constantly reminded him, too old to cry; he knew that but couldn’t help it as a few tears streaked down his cheeks and a sniffle or two escaped him. “Why did he have to lose that stupid job to Bruce Willis today of all days?” The broken whisper slipped out, and a weight settled onto his slight shoulders.

Sentry was a smart animal, and he and Logan had a special bond. He understood that _his_ human was hurting and upset. Sometimes this happened. _His_ special human friend would come out to his barn and sit with him, hiding away from the world for hours, even overnight occasionally. The alpaca sense of smell could catch the scent of blood that was sometimes still on Logan or recently been there. He knew that _his_ friend had injuries but didn’t know how to fix it as the friendly person who gave the three alpacas their hay and tended to them when they hurt themselves seemed to just ignore the boy. Sentry would never ignore _his_ human, though. So he carefully laid down beside him and gave a soft nuzzle against his thigh.

The boy’s hand rested on Sentry’s head and petted while he sniffed and tried to make himself stop crying. “I hope Ronnie won’t be mad at me. I hope she doesn’t think I don’t want to spend time with her. What if that’s what she thinks? What if because of this ‘Ronica thinks I don’t want to be around her or only want to be around her because of the stupid Kanes?”

The alpaca nuzzled gently again, not having any answers but understanding that the boy needed comfort. “Thanks Sentry, you’re always here for me, buddy. And I can tell you all my secrets. I need to sleep for a little while. Share your stall with me?”

Movements careful, Logan stood up, going over to the cabinet he kept locked, the one only he had a key to. After opening it, and withdrawing two blankets and a pillow, he brought it back into the stall. Alpacas being clean animals and conscientious of their living space always went to the bathroom outside, so inside the only smell that really permeated was the sweet hay that got changed every day. Logan made himself a bed on part of the hay and curled up the best his battered body allowed, exhaustion taking over. Vaguely feeling Sentry snuggle in beside him when sleep claimed his mind.

Logan wasn’t sure what woke him until the sound happened again. That sweet, wonderful voice calling softly while she walked into the barn. “Logan? Are you in here? Your mom said you might be. Lo?”

Panic took over, wondering whether he should just stay still and hope Veronica didn’t notice him or if he should answer. Logan couldn’t understand why his mom would send her out here after what his dad had done, or if she was just too drunk to remember. Should he hide? Mind working frantically, trying to decide what to do and how to respond. Before he could choose a course of action, she rounded the corner and spotted him.

“Logan?” Veronica cautiously stepped into the stall and seeing Sentry, her steps slowed. Not showing fear, but approaching cautiously and stopping a few feet away. The way one would with a dog to let them get to know them. “Hey, there you are.” An affectionate smile crossing her lips. “Who’s your friend?” Another gentle smile while she looked curiously at the alpaca.

Teeth biting into his tongue, he struggled to get up, pain shooting along his back, making him bite harder to hold back the groan that wanted to slip out. “Hey, ‘Ronica, what- what are you doing here? I- I thought I said I couldn’t make it today.”

Body stilling where she was, blue eyes growing bigger and filling with some emotion that he didn’t understand. “You did, but you sounded so strange. I thought maybe you were sick, and I worried, so I came by to check on you. Was thinking I could just watch a movie with you here if you felt up to it. But if you would prefer I go?” Small teeth bit her bottom lip and delicate hands twisted together in front of her.

Breath caught in his throat and as all at once he understood the definition of the word beautiful. Shiny, sun-bleached hair giving an almost ethereal glow around her head, similar to a halo. Blue eyes, big and bright, the color of the clear ocean, a look that he thought might be concern in her gaze. It was a look he had seen once when Lilly had fallen and scraped up her knee badly and again when Duncan had to have his tonsils out. From the moment he met her, Logan knew she was beautiful on the outside, the most beautiful girl he’d ever seen, but more than that, Veronica Mars was beautiful on the inside too. He couldn’t breathe for the emotions filling inside of him, warm and fuzzy. Emotions new and scary, but thrilling and tempting.

“No, no, please don’t go. I’m just- ah- embarrassed you found me here. Don’t tell anyone? Please?”

One miniscule step forward and then stopping again. The girl smiled, eyes round and soft and voice earnest. “Logan, you can tell me anything. We’re friends. I would never share your secrets. I’m- I’m not entirely sure what is going on, but if you’re hiding, I understand.” She looked down for a moment, digging the toe of her tennis show into the ground before her gaze came back up. “My mom and dad, they fight a lot and my mom throws things. It can be- I really hate it. And sometimes she calls for me, wanting to make me choose and then her and my dad, they fight worse over that with my dad saying to go back to my room. So, when I hear them fighting, I like to grab my teddy bear and blanket and hide in my closet. Pretend I’m not there. I put on headphones and listen to music so I can’t hear them. And then, if my mom comes looking for me, she doesn’t see me, so she thinks I’m not there and can’t drag me into it. I, well, I understand hiding.”

Teeth bit into his lip again, and brown eyes filled with sadness. He would have never guessed that the sheriff and her mom fought like that. Honestly, he thought Veronica had the perfect home life before this revelation. Logan vowed to pay more attention in the future. Ronnie was confiding in him, telling her secrets so he would feel safe telling her his. While understanding this, what he really cared about was trying to make things better for her, if he could.

The alpaca watched the exchange with bright, intelligent eyes. And, while he couldn’t understand the words said, he understood the tone of voices. After a moment of judgement, he decided that he liked this nice girl and rose to his feet to check her out closer.

A brighter smile flashed across Veronica’s face when Sentry approached, but she stayed still, knowing that you had to let animals approach you. Logan also finished rising to his feet and made the approach to her. “This is Sentry.” Logan introduced, tone hushed, biting his lip, cheeks flushed a light pink while reaching a hand reaching up and tentatively stroking the alpaca’s neck a few times. Sentry had never had a problem with Logan doing this, but he had never let another human get this close, so he wanted to execute caution.

“Hello Sentry, it’s nice to meet you.” The petite girl cooed. “You’re very handsome. Are you Logan’s friend that he’s been hiding from me?”

Sentry made a clicking sound and walked the last step to her. He decided that, like Logan, he would allow her to pet him too. The delicate hand felt nice, gently stroking his neck the same way _his_ human did. Yes, the animal decided. He liked this small girl and hoped that she would come around more. This new friend seemed to make _his_ human happy, too. One more reason that Sentry decides that she was acceptable.

“Do you want to talk about it, Lo?” Veronica glanced up while Sentry decided it would be a good time to wander around outside and start a wrestling match with Alpacino.

Turning his head from side to side, Logan declined. After all, that was _THE_ most important rule. Never talk about what happened. But his foot caught, and he stumbled slightly, hitting a wooden post. This time the groan escaped and tears filled his eyes when pain lanced through him, hot all over his back. Gasps escaped while trying to breathe through the torture of pressure on his ribs and his back ached, feeling every bruise and welt. He spit out a small mouthful of blood when biting his tongue went too far, making the tenderness of his jaw make itself known.

“Oh my god, Lo! Are you okay? You’re hurt! What happened? Okay, let’s get you to sit down for a minute.” The delicate girl wrapped her arm around his lower back, but when another moan slipped through his lips, she dropped her arm even lower. “Just lean on me. We’ll get you to that stool.”

Helplessly, he let her guide him. Logan sat down and sucked in a breath through clenched teeth through the pain.

“You’re bleeding! I need to get your mom or dad! Just stay here-”

“NO!” Logan found his voice, and the word came out defiant and much harsher than intended, laced with pain. “No, please.” It was a struggle, but he swallowed over the lump in his throat and tried again, softening his tone. “They- they already know.”

Blue eyes darkened to navy and flashed, but with what Logan didn’t understand. Lips pursed and jaw clenched before she nodded. “Alright, but then I need you to let me look and clean you up okay?”

A scoff escaped his throat and his head shook before her voice cut in, steady and firm. “No, Logan. I need to look and help you. Either you let me or I go find help.” If he wasn’t in so much pain and so scared about what Veronica was about to discover, he would have found the sternness funny. As it was, he nodded and his body slumped, silently giving in and starting to think about how to explain the injuries so she wouldn’t suspect the truth.

Spine straight, movements sure, tongue peeking out slightly between teeth, Veronica made her way around the barn, finding the first aid kit in the office and getting a clean bowl to put some water in before finding a soft rag in a folded pile of laundered ones. Supplies collected, the girl brought them back and set them on a hay bale for easy use. “Okay, we need to take your shirt off. Now, let me help you because I think it’s going to hurt.”

With a silent nod, Logan agreed and let her help him out of the t-shirt, which required peeling slowly off him to avoid further pain due to the fresh and dried blood. Head dropped, brown gaze focusing on the floor after it was over, mind still frantically casting for a way to explain what she was about to see, and he almost missed her gasp. It was so soft, but there was no disguising the horror in it.

“Logan!” A hushed whisper, voice thick, barely made it to his ear, and he had to strain to hear her. “Oh, Lo, who did this to you?” The way it sounded, like the time he had heard her cry when they watched _The Neverending Story_ with Lilly and Duncan and Atreyu lost Atrax in the swamp of sadness, had him looking up and sure enough, tears were streaming down her cheeks. But she squared her shoulders and stood up straighter, clearing her throat when. “Okay, I am going to do my best to go slow and not hurt you, okay? We need to clean your back and put some balm on it.”

Before he could respond, she dipped the rag into the water and rung it out, bringing it first to his face and cleaning away remnants of blood around his nose and mouth. Fingertips touched his cheek kindly, and Logan leaned in, accidently pressing too hard into her touch and wincing. With a hard swallow, she gave him a tiny smile. “It’s going to be okay, Logan” She dipped the cloth into water again, ringing it out and folding it up before carefully pressing it to his cheek. The coolness felt divine. “Hold this here. I’m going to get another one for your back.”

When she slipped away momentarily, Logan let his eyes fall closed. He couldn’t remember anyone ever taking care of him, not even when he was little. His dad just put him into his room and a nanny cleaned him up when he had a bath. Before the thoughts became too maudlin, his angel was back with another clean rag.

Sentry wandered back in, curious why _his_ human hadn’t come outside with the other human. He discovered Logan sitting there and the nice girl cleaning his back. Easily, he could sense that _his_ human was in pain but also that this girl wasn’t causing it, that she was helping. This made the alpaca happy that someone could help his friend. In effortless movements, Sentry laid himself down at Logan’s feet and leaned against his legs, hoping to help him too.

“Thanks buddy,” the murmur slipped out low, emotions clogging Logan’s voice. “You always help.”

Veronica worked humming a soft tune under her breath, patient and slow while first wiping away the fresh blood and then gently working at cleaning away the crusted blood away from his skin. The young blond hated every time she felt her friend wince or heard him draw in a breath. When his back was finally clean, she realized it wasn’t only fresh bruises and cuts that covered it. Scars in thin white lines streaked across what should have been smooth, tanned skin.

Teeth piercing her lip and tears filling her eyes, Veronica retrieved some antibiotic cream and smoothed it over the boy’s back before placing large bandages over the worst of the slices that she felt needed protection. When done, she dumped the water from the bowl, now bloody, behind the barn and washed it out. She threw away the rag.

With a toss, Logan got rid of the now warm rag he had been holding to his face and looked up as she took a seat on the hay bale beside the stool, fighting his hardest not to let the tears spill out of his eyes when she took his hand. “Is it your mom or dad, Logan?” Straightforward and gentle, her voice inquired, eyes soft and what he first thought was pity, then realized was honest concern.

A shudder ran through his body while air left his lungs. “Dad.” the word slipped out unintentionally but with the weight of a million pounds.

Small arms slipped around him and gently she hugged him, letting him put his head down onto her shoulder while he wrapped his arms around her to hug her back. A hand made his way up to stroke his hair rhythmically. “You can’t tell though, ‘Ronica. He’ll- I don’t know what he’ll do but he’ll hurt you so bad if he knows I told and I can’t let him hurt you.”

The small blond huffed under her breath. “Let’s take this one step at a time, Lo’. We need to make sure he can’t hurt you anymore. For now, how about you come to my house and we’ll watch a movie? Dad’s working a late shift and I have no idea where mom is so we can order pizza for dinner and just hang out. I’ll make up the guest bedroom and you can sleep there tonight.”

Sentry watched the two humans interact. Though he didn’t understand exactly what was going on, he sensed that this girl he liked was helping _his_ human a lot. And this was very important. He rose carefully to his feet and gave Logan and then Veronica a little nuzzle before meandering out to the yard again to get some water.

**We Are Going To Be Friends**

Two months later, Logan ran out to find Sentry in the yard, flopping down and resting his back against the tree. “It’s over, buddy! Aaron’s gone for good and won’t be coming back. I can’t believe Sheriff Mars kept his promise to help my mom do it. No more hiding in fear or being hit. I didn’t think this would ever happen!

Sentry heard the excitement in _his_ human’s voice and ran around the yard, letting out a “wark” sound and pronking to show solidarity, hearing the boy laugh. Soon enough, however, Logan was sitting quietly again, head back and looking up at the sky through the tree. The alpaca came back over and flopped down onto the grass beside him, wondering why he wasn’t happy anymore.

A breath came out slowly through Logan’s lips and he looked back down at his furry friend next to him. Hand settling gently to stroke against the soft hair. “So, Duncan told me today that he likes Veronica. Like- likes her. Likes how I like her. I don’t know what to do, Sentry! I mean, he’s supposed to be my best friend and technically he saw her first according to him. So, do I be a good friend and step back or do I ask Veronica out, even though I’m never going to be good enough for her? Duncan is a golden boy and Veronica deserves the best…”

The caramel-colored alpaca snorted and laid his head up on his friend’s thigh. Logan kept stroking his neck, lost in his own thoughts.

Forty-five minutes later, both startled when a tiny blond tornado came whirling into the field. “Logan! Logan! Isn’t it great? Oh, I’m so happy for you!”

The tall boy and Sentry barely had time to stand before Veronica was throwing herself at him, arms around his neck and hugging him for all he’s worth. “I told you I would protect you. I told you I would make sure he couldn’t hurt you ever again! You’re safe, Lo, you and your mom are safe!”

Logan couldn’t help wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her, twirling them in circles while Veronica let out a flood of giggles, her long blond hair flying out behind her. After several long minutes, he finally set her down, and they both tried to catch their breath, grinning at each other.

“Thank you.” What he meant to come out as strong and sincere came out whispered and choked, full of emotion. In awe of the petite girl in front of him. Logan wanted to kiss her badly, but still felt conflicted on what the right thing to do was. She was more his best friend than DK, and he didn’t want to screw that up either. But god, Veronica looked so beautiful looking up at him, eyes bright and sparkling, lips spread into a wide smile. Breath caught and struggled to move in and out of his chest, and his heart suddenly seemed to speed up, stomach somersaulted while his tongue unconsciously swept across his bottom lip.

Sentry cocked his head, looking at the two of them. _His_ human wanted to do something but wasn’t doing it, why? If Sentry wanted to do something, he just did it. Obviously _his_ human needed some help, and it was up to him to help him.

The two gazed at each other, caught in the moment, both wanting something but scared and shy, not willing to be the one to bridge the divide. Without conscious thought, Logan’s head dipped when he stepped closer to Veronica, but still something held him back. Suddenly, he felt something push into his back and found his lips pressed against hers, surprising them both.

He didn’t care. Now that he was kissing her, he didn’t care that Duncan liked her too. Didn’t care about being the so-called better friend. All he cared about was kissing her soft lips and the way she was kissing him back. She. Was. Kissing. Him. Back. Heart leapt in his chest when both their lips tentatively parted to deepen the kiss in that innocent way that two almost-thirteen-year-old kids discover. Neither pulled back until they desperately needed to draw oxygen into their lungs.

So lost in their own little bubble, eyes wide with the realization of what this kiss meant and hearts rejoicing how it does when innocents discover first love They started when they heard a noise beside them.

Both turned to see Sentry, and he appeared to be grinning at them, quite proud of himself. With a clicking noise, the alpaca took off, pronking spectacularly high around the yard, leaping and running. Alpacacino and Chewpaca joined in the celebration. The humans couldn’t escape the giggles that spilled out as they watched, at least they couldn’t until blue and brown eyes met again.

“Was that- I mean are you okay that I kissed you?” Logan’s eyes darted down to the ground, and he scuffed the toe of his sneaker into it.

“So okay. I’ve been hoping you would.” The confession came out soft and barely audible, her cheeks an adorable shade of pink. “I thought maybe you liked Lilly, and you only thought of me as a friend. I mean, Lilly is- and I’m-”

“Perfect and who I want. You’re beautiful. Lilly is pretty, but you’re beautiful inside and out. I’ve never been interested in her, she annoys me most of the time to tell the truth. The only reason I hung around was to spend time with you. But, well, she kept talking about you and Duncan and Duncan said-”

The blond rolled her eyes. “Lilly has this fantasy about me marrying Duncan so we can be sisters. I’ve been telling her forever that it’s never going to happen. I like him fine as a friend, but truthfully, he’s boring. And he always seems to disapprove of me when I don’t act the way he thinks I should. So no thank you. I’ve never been interested in him that way.” Her teeth bit into the corner of her lip and Veronica glanced up at him again.

“Oh, thank god.” Logan’s lips were on hers again, soft and sweet, while she sighed happily. Sentry continued to lead the charge of celebration still around _his_ two humans.

**We Are Going To Be Friends**

_2019- Eight and a Half Years Later._

_Logan and Veronica- aged 22_

Keith Mars sat beside Lynn Lester while they watched their kids exchange vows. Lynn kept dabbing at her eyes and once or twice a speck of dust from being outside seemed to make its way into his eye too, causing them to tear up. Thankfully, everyone was too busy watching the couple under the arbor with the backdrop of the ocean.

Wallace Fennel grinned, smug and bright while announcing loudly, “Please rise. May I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Logan and Veronica Echolls.” Then started off a resounding round of clapping when Logan kissed his bride again, dipping her low as wolf whistles sounded before bringing her back to standing, leading her back down the flower-strewn aisle.

Everyone moved to the Echolls estate for the reception, held on the vast grounds. When Logan and Veronica arrived, everyone stood and clapped again as if receiving royalty, causing the groom to laugh and the bride to blush. They made their way to the dais where the bridal party table sat. He kissed her cheek while Logan helped her into her seat before stepping over to the other raised dais and taking the microphone off the stand. Tall and confident in tan linen pants and vest over a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up his forearms, blush peony boutonniere angled perfectly to the vest, Logan looked out over those gathered there. Brown eyes light as honey with flecks of gold, almost glowing in happiness. Grinning widely, voice light, the words came easily to him.

“Veronica and I would like to thank everyone for being here today to celebrate with us. I know we’re the exception to the rule. We met at twelve, fell in love, and now at twenty-two we’ve joined our lives together permanently. But some love stories are just epic that way. And while some love stories include lives ruined and bloodshed, I think ours will happily stay in the lane of spanning years and perhaps continents depending on where life takes us together.” A beaming smile overtook Logan’s face while speaking.

Logan turned his body slightly to talk to Veronica more directly. Taking in the sight of his stunning wife, every inch the bride, and yet still his Veronica in her finery. A delicate champagne colored lace and silk tea length wedding dress hugging her curves and then flaring out in a swing style skirt, long blond hair in soft waves, a simple pretty crystal headband instead of a veil. The vintage pink sapphire halo necklace with matching earrings Lynn had gifted her adding a touch of color. His grandmother Lester’s wedding set on her slim fingers and his Grandfather’s on his. The rings of a marriage that lasted over sixty years and held the promise for this new marriage within them as well.

“When I first met you, Sugarpuss, I was in awe. I couldn’t stop talking about you. In fact, I’ve never stopped talking about you.” The small crowd let out an aww and laughed while Veronica turned light pink again and blew a kiss to her new husband. He grinned, catching it, blowing one back before continuing. “I was also so nervous when I realized how much I liked you and caught in a dilemma. See, my friend told me he liked you too, so I didn’t know what to do. Was I supposed to step back because he was my friend? Was it okay to go ahead with what I wanted? I didn’t know what to do. Then, a little fate stepped in, in the form of another friend.” Logan grinned with a wink at his bride and then nodded at someone standing off to the side.

The crowd let out a surprised sound when Sentry, all brushed to a shine, holding his head up high, proudly displaying the bowtie that matched the light blush of _his_ human’s flowers around his long neck, walked up to the stage beside Logan. He butted his head gently against the man’s arm and Logan wrapped it lightly around him, giving his old friend a pat.

“Sentry here decided I needed a little push, literally. While I was trying to decide if I should kiss you or not, worried about whether doing so would cause me to lose my friend, he decided he would help me decide.” Logan beamed at his new wife again and then turned an affectionate look to his best friend of almost ten years now. “Thanks buddy, I owe you an enormous debt.”

Veronica rose then and joined Logan, taking his face into her hand and kissing him softly before carefully giving Sentry a hug that he only allowed her to give him. Then she took her place at Logan’s side, taking his hand.

“Thank you Sentry, I know that no matter what, we would have found each other, but I suspect you made the path much clearer and saved us a lot of trouble.” She kissed Logan’s cheek again and turned to their guests. “Thank you all again for joining us to celebrate, now everyone have a great time!”

The music started up while servers entered to offer canapes and drinks to the guests for the cocktail hour. Logan and Veronica turned to each other. “Epic, huh?” She arched an eyebrow, smiling.

“Epic, always epic.” Logan confirmed with a nod and bending down, kissed her soundly.

“Logan, you’re my best friend too.” Veronica whispered into the kiss.

Sentry, refusing to be left out of this moment, after this was his moment too, and these were _his_ humans, butted in between them, wanting some affection. Both laughed and petted him, hearts filled with joy at finding each other and for this beautiful animal that helped it happen.

[ ](https://imgur.com/N5T5sXB)

**_Fin_ **

_Fall is here, Here the yell_

_Back to school, Ring the bell_

_Brand new shoes, Walking blues_

_Climb the fence, books and pens_

_I can tell that we are going to be friends_

_I can tell that we are going to be friends_

_Walk with me, Suzy Lee_

_Through the park and by the tree_

_We will rest upon the ground_

_And look at all the bugs we found_

_Safely walk to school without a sound_

_Safely walk to school without a sound_

_Here we are, no one else_

_We walked to school all by ourselves_

_There’s dirt on our uniforms_

_From chasing all the ants and worms_

_We clean up and now it’s time to learn_

_We clean up and now it’s time to learn._

_Numbers, letters, learn to spell_

_Nouns, and books and show and tell_

_Playtime we will throw the ball_

_Back to class, through the hall_

_Teacher marks our height against the wall_

_Teacher marks our height against the wall_

_We don’t notice any time pass_

_We don’t notice anything_

_We sit side by side in every class_

_Teacher thinks that I sound funny_

_But she likes the way you sing_

_Tonight I’ll dream while in my bed_

_When silly thoughts go through my head_

_About the bugs and alphabet_

_And when I wake up tomorrow I’ll bet_

_That you and I will walk together again._

_I can tell that we are going to be friends._

_I can tell that we are going to be friends._

_-The White Stripes_

**Author's Note:**

> There is a playlist for this story as well and you can find it on my Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0gtADj4Py1wtqLWE7zGPh4?si=NXBrmDQ-ThCwdkMujSWawA


End file.
